Sunday, December 25, 2011

Since we are of the Chanukah celebrating sort, today we had our day wide open for a nice family outing. We are constantly on the lookout for nice things to do with the kids, and this worked out so well, I thought I'd share it with y'all. I come from the far flung shores of Michigan, so anytime we go to "The City" my eyes go all googley eyed, and my feet start doing a little dance. Big D. on the other hand grew up on the Big Bad Streets of Brooklyn, so to him, going to the City is phfffghhht. Just like that. To him, its just one big traffic jam.

How sad.

So it was thuper duper exciting when by some stroke of a miracle I convinced Big D. that we would take the kids on the subway to the City, and then head over to Roosevelt Island on a cable car, check out Lighthouse Park and head back home again.

Thank goodness my kids have my Michiganian blood coursing through their little veins, because they had the jiggles all the way to 42nd Street. We all held tight to our buddies, while walking like completely dorky tourists, staring up at the huge skyscrapers.

Except for Big D. of course. He was pretending he didn't know us.I must tell you, when we go on a family trip, I have to walk a very fine line. See, I like to view the outing through the lens of a digital camera. It's just in my blood. One snap too many though,and whoops-I've lost my husband. Anyhow, here's what I was able to snap while he wasn't paying attention:

I definitely want to come back here one day with Big D.

I just didn't want to scar my kids for life as of today.

I thought these guys were brilliant little monsters. Dress up like Elmo so that your kid begs you to take a picture with him, then ask for a tip. How can you refuse?

Some of New York's Finest helping us out when we got off at waaaay the wrong subway stop. People were really friendly today!

I went a little crazy taking Skyline silhouette pictures- they are totally addicting...until you look at your pictures later on that night and realize that you have 26 of the exact same picture.

Who would have thunk it would happen to me. I thought I was heatproof.

But I am burnt out.

Can we please get some more baking cliche's in here? Its so much fun!

The egg shell that broke the camels back.

Anywaaaays....I am going to be going on a Bakation.

Came up with that term myself, I did. You have to pay me a quarter to use it. But I guess there is no one else in this world who would actually take a bakation, so you're probably safe. You can keep your quarters.

Back to the matter at hand, in a perfect world, I would actually stop baking during my bakation. But I'm not sure if that is actually physically possible. So let's pretend I am taking a break from baking, and meanwhile, I'll post some super easy recipes for the general public.Why do I get the feeling I just heard a collective sigh of relief?Yes, you, Big D. I heard you all the way over here.

Oh, and by the way, there may or may not be pictures accompanying the recipes.

Just sayin.

So that's the plan of action, er-inaction, for the next few weeks.And now, for your viewing pleasure....

Heat oil in a large frying pan. Add onions. Saute until soft and transparent- about 8 minutes. Add mushrooms and hot dogs; saute another 10 minutes. Set aside. Combine all dressing ingredients together and blend until smooth. For individual serving plates: Line each plate with a handful of lettuce. Arrange diced peppers, cucumbers and cherry tomatoes on top. Top with warm mushroom mixture, and drizzle with dressing. Mushroom mixture can be made in advance and refrigerated until use- just warm before serving. Enjoy :)

Sunday, December 11, 2011

Peanut butter chocolate chip muffins are nice. In a boring, snuggle up with a book on a rainy day kind of way.

But these.Are.Not.Normal. Like fireworks in the middle of a rainbow while peacocks fly across the sky awesomely not normal. Seriously. I don't exaggerate about food.

Its too serious of a subject matter. So let me paint a pretty picture for you:

Chewy brownie bite.

In miniature: because I have scientifically proven that everything tastes better in miniature. (In scientific terms, its because the flavor to texture ratio is in perfect balance. Scientifically speaking of course.)

Now we can stop right here, and you would be in absolute peanut butter chocolate bliss.

But if it is Peanut Butter Chocolate World Domination that you are aiming for, keep on going:

A swirl of light peanut butter cream.Dipped in Chocolate.

And here we are. Absolute perfection.

No wait, you need a glass of milk.

Ok. Now, we have absolute perfection.

Amen to that.

Peanut Butter Caramel Poppers makes 45 bite size poppers

Brownie Bite:

1 cup butter or margarine

2 cups white sugar

4 eggs

1 tablespoon vanilla extract

2/3 cup unsweetened cocoa powder

1 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/2 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. Line 5 mini muffin tins with mini cupcake liners. Melt margarine in a small pot. Remove from heat; add sugar. Mix until combined. Add eggs and vanilla and stir. Add in cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Mix just until combined. Fill cupcake liners about 4/5 full. Bake for about 20 minutes, until set. Remove from oven, and cool slightly. If you have burn proof hands like me (I know, its a gift. And it's genetic.) then quickly poke your thumb into each brownie bite to create a small well. IF you are a normal human being, you can use the back of a knife or the back of a children's medicine dropper. Set aside.

Peanut Butter Caramel

1 cup dark karo syrup (I have replaced this with light karo syrup, or pancake syrup in a pinch)

1 cup creamy peanut butter

2 tablespoons honey

2 tablespoons vanilla sugar

Combine all ingredients in a small saucepan. Bring to a boil over a medium flame, and stir until smooth. Remove from flame. The caramel thickens as it cools, so if you plan on using this for ice cream or something else, refrigerate until cool. In this case, its easier to pour when its thin, so drop by spoonful into the little wells that you created on the brownie bites. Place in the freezer to cool completely. The caramel must be completely cool to touch before you pipe on the peanut butter cream, otherwise it will melt.

Peanut Butter Cream

6 cups powder sugar

2/3 cup creamy peanut butter

2 teaspoons vanilla

1/2 cup milk or soy milk

Combine all ingredients together in a large bowl. Using an electric mixer, beat until smooth and creamy. If it is too thick, add additional milk; 1 tablespoon at a time. Transfer to a large resealable bag and snip off the corner to pipe. Pipe a large swirl on top of each brownie, and return the brownie bites to the freezer to set.

Chocolate Dip

2 cups chocolate chips

2-3 tablespoons shortening

Combine chocolate chips and shortening in a microwave safe bowl. Microwave on high for 2 minutes, stirring half way through. Transfer to a tall glass. Dip the cold brownie bites and return to the tray to set. If you want to be super cool and ultra fancy, you can use any extra caramel to drizzle over the tops. You can also melt some peanut butter in the microwave for 30 seconds, and drizzle that on top. Since I am one hair short of ultra fancy, I skipped this step.

Here- you want a closer look?

Mmmmmmmm....absolute peanut butter and chocolate heaven.

Now go have yourself a nice day!

Whoops, I almost forgot! To make my life a little more interesting, I'm in the running for "Best Kosher Food Blog" over at JoyofKosher.com. I've been hovering at seventh place for a while, so please be a dear, and boost my ego and go vote for me...pretty please?

Wednesday, December 7, 2011

This was one of those recipe that started as an idea and kind of evolved into something wonderfully delicious. I was looking for a different kind of salad to make as a side dish and thought I would make some sort of rice salad. Beans and avocado go well with rice, so that was the plan. Then I made a rice casserole for supper and realized that I don't really like rice all that much. Which brought me to couscous. And that's what we have here:

Mexican Style Couscous Salad

1 1/2 cups Israeli couscous

1 can kidney beans, drained and rinsed

1 can sweet yellow corn, drained

1 colored pepper,diced small

1 avocado, diced

1 small red onion, diced small (optional)

2 tablespoons oil

3-4 tablespoons vinegar

3-4 tablespoons sugar

salt and pepper to taste

Pour couscous into a small saucepan. Fill with water, about 1-2 inches above the couscous. Bring to a boil. Turn flame to low, and cover the pot. Cook for about 10 minutes, or until all the water is absorbed, and the couscous is soft. Drain and rinse. Transfer the couscous to a large bowl. Add the beans, corn, pepper and onion. (The onion gives the salad a very strong "oniony" flavor. Big D. loved it, but I would probably skip it next time or use scallions instead.) Do not add the avocado yet if you are preparing the salad in advance- add it right before serving. I kept the dressing ingredients simple here- no need for a heavy dressing, since the vegetables add amazing flavor and texture. Toss the couscous with the dressing ingredients and taste. When I made this salad, I actually just put in a splash of this and that. I tried to estimate the measurements for you, but its really a taste and see kind of salad. Enjoy!

Don't forget to add the avocado right before you serve it! I took these pics the day before I served it, hence the missing avocado.

Sunday, December 4, 2011

Wow, what a foggy dreary Monday. No witty repartee today. The fog uninspires me. Blew my creativity right out of the park.I'm tired and its only Monday morning. That doesn't bode well for the

rest of the week, does it? So don't mind me. I'll just leave you with some pictures in honor of this lovely Monday Morning, and be on my way.....to my cup of coffee.

Oh, you want a recipe? Funny you should ask. Ahem. Well here's the thing. I forgot to upload my pictures for today recipe :( I can tell it you was delicious, that I can. So check back later on today, and I shall upload it then. Until then......zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.

And....we're back:

Cookie Dough Trifles

Mini of course- I wouldn't have a trifle any other way.

Brownies

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350. In a medium saucepan, melt the margarine. Remove from heat. Using a wooden spoon, add in the sugar and mix until combined. Stir in the eggs and vanilla and mix well. Add the cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder; mix until thoroughly combined, taking care not to overmix. Pour into a greased 8'' square pan and bake for 25-30 minutes. Cool completely. Once cool, slice into 1/2 inch cubes, transfer to a resealable bag and freeze until use.

Combine the brown sugar, flour and salt in a small saucepan. Add 1 cup whipped topping. Bring to a boil over medium heat, stirring constantly. In another small bowl, whisk the egg yolks and remaining whipped topping. Once the brown sugar mixture thickens, remove from heat, and quickly whisk a spoonful of hot mixture into the egg yolks in order to temper the eggs. Return the entire egg mixture to the saucepan and bring to a boil. Allow to boil for one minute, until it has a pudding-like texture, stirring constantly. Remove from heat, and stir in the margarine and vanilla. Cool completely. Refrigerate until use.

Topping1 cup non-dairy whipped topping, Rich's Whip

3 tablespoons sugar

1 teaspoon vanilla

Whip the topping until stiff peaks form. Add in sugar and vanilla and whip until sugar dissolves. Refrigerate until use.

To assemble:

Cover the bottom of 6 ice cream glasses with the brownie cubes. Spoon a large spoonful of cookie dough flavored filling on top of the brownie cubes. At this point, you can refrigerate the trifles semi-assembled. Transfer the whipped topping to a pastry bag fitted with a Wilton 1M tip, or a ziploc bag with a top in the corner. Before serving, pipe a large swirl of whipped cream on top. I happened to have had extra eggless cookie dough in the fridge for garnish, but really that is not so vital for the taste. It would probably be cute to top it with a baked chocolate chip cookie as well.

Monday, November 28, 2011

You know there are at least ten people on this planet who insist they personally know the person who invented deli roll.

True fact.

Well guys, I call this one:

I served this last week as an appetizer. We had a huge platter of it in the middle of the table, with a few smaller salads on the side. (Don't worry, I have pictures of them all ready for future Real Food Wednesdays!) It was lots of fun, and being that Big D. is a self proclaimed fish hater, and my Super Awesome Sister-In-Law was there too, and she is also a self proclaimed fish hater (really? You are going to try to convince me that this does not run in the family??) they had a lot of fun pretending that they were eating sushi. While it does not taste like real sushi due to the lack of nori and fish, it was still a big hit!

This is my first time making sushi rice, let alone anything sushi related. And I do not plan on making authentic sushi ever in my life, when I can go to the takeout and get perfectly delicious sushi. And yes, you can quote me on that. So, any instructions here are completely a result of my 3 minute Google education on sushi making. If you are a professional sushi chef, please do not judge or critique my technique! This worked fine for Deli Sushi, and that was my goal. Thanks!

Place sushi rice in a strainer, run cold water over it, and rinse until the water runs clear. (Don't skip this step.) Once the rice is rinsed, pour it into the pot you will be cooking it in. Fill the pot with water to a level just slightly higher than the level of the rice. Let the rice sit in the water for about 30 minutes. While the rice is soaking, prepare the rice seasoning. Combine vinegar, sugar and salt in a small pot. Heat the vinegar mixture until the sugar and salt have almost entirely dissolved. Don’t let the mixture boil. As soon as the salt and sugar have dissolved, remove the mixture from heat. After the rice has soaked for 30 minutes, turn on the flame and bring the rice/water to a boil. Once the water begins to boil, lower the heat to the smallest flame and cover the pot. Since the rice is steamed, not cooked, its very important to keep the pot covered the entire time- no peeking! After about 10 minutes, take a quick peek to see if the water has been absorbed and the rice is cooked. If the water absorbed, but the rice is still hard, add a splash of water and allow it to steam for a few more minutes. Once it is cooked, remove the rice from the flame, transfer rice to a larger bowl, and allow to cool. According to sushi experts, you should not use a metal bowl, since it will affect the taste of the rice. You also should use a wooden spoon to ensure that the grains of rice do not get damaged. Once the rice is transferred and cooling, pour the rice seasoning over the cooled rice, and gently stir until it is thoroughly combined.

To prepare the filling:

Spray a small frying pan with non-stick cooking spray. Slice the chicken breast into 2-3 smaller pieces. Add chicken to frying pan, spread barbecue sauce on top. Cook over medium flame, 2-3 minutes on each side, until chicken is no longer pink. Allow to cool. Once it cools, slice each piece into narrow strips. Slice the avocado and pepper into thin strips as well.

To assemble the deli sushi:

Lay out a sheet of parchment paper on your work surface. Arrange the deli in a large rectangle, about 8''x10''. Gently press the rice mixture down on top of the deli, keeping it as smooth and flat as possible. If you would like to put ketchup or mustard in the sushi roll, spread it thinly over the rice. (I decided to skip this to keep the flavors as close to authentic sushi as possible.) On the side of the roll, about an inch inwards, lay the chicken strips, avocado strips and pepper strips.

To roll:Gently pick up the parchment paper to help you roll the first "roll." Pull the roll back towards you to ensure that it is rolled as tightly as possible. Let the parchment paper fall back to the counter and continue rolling up, keeping the roll as tight as you can. Roll the entire roll back up in the parchment paper to keep closed, and transfer to a pan. Refrigerate for 2-3 hours or overnight to help the deli sushi keep its form, before slicing. Slice with a sharp serrated knife and make sure to cut all the way to the bottom- otherwise the deli is still connected, and will ruin the slices.

Friday, November 25, 2011

Do you remember my awesome friend- Hyper D.? Well, see, there is a reason why she is so hyper. And I will tell you why. Once upon a time, Hyper D. was just plain ole' D. Super awesome, but not too hyper. Well, maybe a little hyper, but not enough to warrant a title. Then one day, Hyper D. met a dashing young knight named S-Dude. S-Dude was so nice and sweet that D. said, "I want to marry him!!!" And S-Dude said, "I want to marry you too!!!" And ta-da, just like that, they got engaged! And Hyper D. has never been the same since...bouncing off the walls, that girl is. I had to peel her off the ceiling just last week, I tell ya. Anyways, so I told Hyper D., when she was just about half-way Hyper: "Listen girl, my superpowers tell me that you will be getting engaged soon, and I have a fancy pants cake I would like to make for your engagement party, so please please please, you have to tell me at least three days before so I have time to make this crazy cake for ya." And can you guess what happened?

S-Dude, being his awesomely cool self, decided to surprise Hyper D. and proposed

when she least expected it.

Guys. They'll just ruin everything.

So, I got this call last Sunday from Hyper D. saying "I'm ENGAAAAAAAGED!!!!"

And we did a little dance around the room.

Seriously, Z-Monkey and Little D. are still dancing.

(They have to practice for her wedding.)

Anyways, so after Hyper D. caught her breath, she said, "Ohmigoshguesswhatourengagementpartywillbetomorrownight!!!YAAAAY!!

Say what, now?

This was at 6 PM on a Sunday night.As I was wiping down the last counter from a long day of recipe testing for the JoyofKosher.

But, since I love Hyper D., and I express my love through cake, here's what I threw together:

8PM-3AM, my friends. From preheating the oven to washing the floor.

Now, any of you who have been following my blog long enough know that I am 16% cool, 11% awesome and 73% crazy, right? So at 3AM, my brain went like this:

Wow, 24 hours to make an engagement party. Hmmm, how will they get enough food together? Maybe they need more cake. Yeah, for sure they need more cake! Hyper D. needs to have an amazing engagement party. With lots of cake. So I have to make more cake. make more cake.make more cake.make more cake...zzzzzzzz.

Umm, yeah, so that's what happened:

Mocha Caramel Crunch.I want one just for myself.

Ironically, this one was about 2 hours from beginning to end.

In other news, it's my Super Cool Boss's Son-In-Law's birthday! You know what that means, right? Its cake time!

(Click on image to enlarge)

He's in school for a PHD in psychology, hence the couch.

Now how many times did I write the words "Awesome", "Cool" and "Super'' in this post?

Me thinks its time for a thesaurus. Or a vacation. Or both. Take your pick.

Sunday, November 20, 2011

Its no secret that I love all things cheese. And I'm a Perpetual Dieter.

Put the two together, and you get:

Spaghetti Squash Casserole

1 large spaghetti squash

6 ounces baby portabella mushrooms, sliced

1 colored pepper, sliced in strips

1 Sicilian* eggplant, diced small

a handful of cherry tomatoes, whole

1 cup marinara sauce

1 cup cottage cheese

6 ounces shredded mozzarella cheese

Heat oven to 350°. Place the spaghetti squash, whole, in a 9x13 pan. Bake for about an hour. Let it cool, and slice in half. Scoop the insides back into the pan, discard the peel and seeds. Set aside.Raise the temperature of the oven to 450°. Spray a large cookie sheet with non-stick cooking spray. Arrange the eggplant on the sheet. Roast for about 20 minutes. Add the peppers, mushrooms and tomatoes, and roast for an additional 10-15 minutes. Remove from oven, and add to spaghetti squash. Stir to combine. Add the marinara sauce, cottage cheese and shredded cheese- mix well. Cover pan, and bake at 350° for 45 minutes. Uncover, and bake for an additional 15 minutes.

Oh, and by the way. It doesn't help to eat something healthy, when you devour half the pan. Just sayin'.

And hellooo, why has no one told me about baby portabella mushrooms before?! I am completely and totally in love.

* You do not have to use Sicilian eggplant here, you can use any kind of eggplant. I prefer Sicilian eggplant, because I find the "eggplant" taste to be more mild.

Thursday, November 17, 2011

I think I've mentioned this before but it bears repeating. Sometimes, I get so caught up in an idea of a recipe, that I kinda lose site of the recipe. And yes, that makes a great Life Lesson, so you can read into that as deeply as you like. I let. Anyways, let me give you an example: Say, someone super cool is coming to me for the weekend. Like Hyper D. Or my Super Awesome Sister-in-Law. Say,we want to knock their socks off. So I start surfing Foodgawker, Pinterest, Tastespotting. Before you know it, there is a tidal wave of drool on my keyboard. (Ew, gross. TMI?) And then I have this monstrosity of an idea in my head for dessert: It sounds like this:

Hey, I'll make a pie.No, no. Mini trifles are way fancier. Yeah, that will be good. It has to have chocolate, so I have to make some chocolate mousse. Oh, and I love brownies, so gotta have that in there. Peanut butter? Yep, hand in hand with chocolate. Oh, and caramel. I love caramel. And what is dessert without whip cream? Before you know it, this dessert is three feet high and your taste buds are so confused, they are like "What? What are you feeding us? How many tastes are you bombarding us with?"

Yeah, its kinda like that.

Scary, I know.

So sometimes, to remember whats really good in life, I ask my kids what they want me to make. So this week, Z-Monkey requested brownies. And then my brain automatically added ice cream and caramel to that. What?! I can't help it! It's like a knee-jerk reflex. Point is, its something I am working on. And here is something for you:

I'm thinking of printing this strip of pictures and framing it in my kitchen.Whaddya think?Here's what you need to put this together:

Mary Poppins Brownies(Practically perfect in every way)

I totally just made that up by the way. They are really called Best Brownies.

1/2 cup margarine

1 cup white sugar

2 eggs

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

1/3 cup cocoa

1/2 cup flour

1/4 teaspoon salt

1/4 teaspoon baking powder

Preheat oven to 350°. Melt margarine in a small saucepan. Remove from heat and add sugar, eggs and vanilla. Stir by hand until smooth. Add cocoa, flour, salt and baking powder. Mix just until combined. Pour into greased 8'' square pan. Bake in preheated oven for 25-30 minutes.

Non-Dairy Vanilla Ice Cream

16 ounces non-dairy whipped topping (Rich's whip)

1 cup sugar

1 tablespoon vanilla sugar

6 eggs

2 tablespoons maple syrup

Using an electric mixer, beat whippped topping until stiff peaks form. Add sugar and vanilla sugar. Add eggs, one at a time, beating after each addition. Add in maple syrup and beat until smooth. Pour into a airtight container and freeze overnight.

Caramel

3 cups white sugar

1 1/2 cups light corn syrup

1 pinch salt

2 cups non-dairy whipped topping (divided)

1 teaspoon vanilla extract

In a large, heavy bottomed pot, combine sugar, corn syrup, salt and 1 cup non-dairy whipped topping. Heat over medium flame to 250° F. (Candy thermometer is a must here...keep a close eye on the temperature, it makes a big difference) Add the remaining whipped topping and vanilla. Stir quickly, and bring to a boil. Remove from heat, and allow to cool.Caramel TroubleshootingI've made caramel more times than I care to admit in the past month, and I've had to deal with caramel that was rock hard and caramel that was watery thin. Luckily, I was able to salvage both, so here's some tips that might help you:1) If your caramel is too hard, it means you overshot the temperature mark and you just made candy. Congratulations! But never fear, it can be saved. Transfer the hard caramel to a pot. If you can't get it out, stick it in the microwave for 30+ seconds. Reheat the caramel until its back in a liquid form, and add 2 tablespoons of creamer. Let it cool again back to room temperature. Now, when I had rock hard caramel, it was really hard, I added 1/2 cup creamer and it was perfect. So it really depends on how hard the caramel is. I would start with 2 tablespoons, and if its not enough, add 2 more. The point is: to resoften hardened caramel, you need to add more liquid.2) Caramel cooled completely, and its watery thin. In this case you undershot the caramel. It didn't reach the proper temperature to become a caramel consistency. (Very scientific terminology here. I had 5 hours of sleep! Its the best I can do!) So its pretty simple here- just dump it back in the pot, and reheat it again. If your thermometer originally said that it was 250° F, and it cooled to a watery consistency, your thermometer must have been lying. So reheat it to 260° F-265° F. Let it cool completely, and you should be good to go!

P.S. I did not whip up the caramel because my brain told me to. (Obviously, I would never do such a thing.) I had some in the freezer left over from a Joy of Kosher recipe column. It freezes amazing, so its worthwhile to make some and keep for emergency times such as these.